Local Self-Government or Local Co-Governance?

Abstract

This article discusses “local self-government”, a core concept in a Charter of the Council of Europe, and it departs from the debate in the Norwegian Parliament about constitutional protection of local self-government. Such a change has recently been voted down, and this serves as an opportunity to question the idea about local self-government in a time when there are claims about a shift from government to governance. The article provides some examples of co-governance in Norway, and argues that the meaning given by “local self-government” is not obvious. It also points to some possible issues in a future revision of the Charter mentioned above.